Fire-ladder truck



(N0 M06610 2 Sheets Sheet 1.

E. P. STEGK.

FIRE LADDER TRUCK.

Patented Mar; 13

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-LADDER TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,424, dated March 13, 1888.

Application filed January 30, 1888.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST F. screen, a citi zen of the United States. residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Fire-Ladder Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in ladder-trucks adapted for city tlre-depart|nent service and involving the employment of a ladder that is at one end fnlcru med at the forward end of the truck, my said improvement being particularly applicable toaladder-truck wherein an extensionladder is arranged as in Letters Patent of the Uni ted States, No. 348, 594, heretofore granted to me.

My invention is directed to the arrangement and manipulation of the drivers seat, and has for its objects to arrange the scat whereby it may occupy a sufficiently elevated position at the forward end of the truck without an objectionable prolongation of the length of the truck beyond the point where the ladder is fulcrumed; to permit the seat when in position for use to stand at the desired elevation without necessitating the employment of long scatsupports, which, to insure stability, must of necessity be increased in size and weight proportional to their length, (it being here observed t-hat maximum strength with minimum weight is a most important end to be attained in the construction of large city fire-ladder trucks;) to so arrange the seat that upon arriving at the field of action the seat may without delay be removed, in order to allow the ladder to be freely raised, and also to permit such arrangement of the seat to allow the free movement of the turn-table; toprovidesimple and reliable means for holding the seat in position for use, but permitting its ready removal, and to provide certain improved fea tures of combination and details tending to the general efficiency of the ladder-truck.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I provide, in connection'with the pivoted ladder, adrivers seat, which is removably supported upon and over the pivoted end of the ladder when the Serial No. 262,442. (No model.)

latter is in a recumbent orhorizontal position, whereby when the ladder is down the seat can be supported upon and over the same, from which position, however, the seat can be read ily removed when it becomes desirable to raise the ladder.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents, in side elevation. the forward end portion of a laddertruck with the pivoted ladder down and the drivers seat supported thereon. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drivers seat removed. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the pivoted end portion of the ladder fulcrumed upon the turn; table, witha portion of the raising and lowering mechanism, the drivers seat being under stood to have been removed in order to allow the ladder to be raised. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of parts adapted for holding the seat in position for use.

In said drawings, A indicates the wheeled truck-frame, and B the ladder pivoted or fulcrumed at one end upon a turntable, Qwhich is preferably present for reasons too well understood to require explanation.

D indicates the drivers seat, which, when the ladder is down-as in Fig. 1, for examplecan be supported upon and over the pivoted end portion-of the ladder and there held in condition for use so long as the ladder remains in its recumbent position.

As an extremely simple and efficient way of removably attachi ng the seat to the ladder, the latter is provided with studs or bolts, and the seat is provided with correspondingly arranged eyes for receiving the studs or bolts that are on the ladder, the studs in such case being preferably arranged so that when the ladder is in a recumbent position the studs shall all stand vertically. As a further feature of improvement in this connection, the seat is provided with front legs, (I, which, when the seat is in position over the recumbent ladder, drop opposite the end of the same, in which way the forward end portion of the ladder is to a considerable extent received within the angle between the bottom of the seat and its front legs. With such arrange ment the seat is provided at its rear corners with eyes (1 for receiving studs or bolts E, that are secured to the sides of the ladder, the representation of one of such eyes at one rear corner, as in either Fig. 1 or 2, being sufficient to indicate the presence of a like eye on the other rear corner.

The front legs, (1, are provided with eyes at for the reception of studs F, that are connected with but arranged'to stand out a short distance from the end of the ladder. These studs are arranged so that when the ladder is in a recumbent or horizontal position they will stand upright, the studs F for such purpose being provided upon the ends of anglebars or cleats f, which, when bolted to the laddersidcs, fit the end corners thereof. so as to brace and steady the attachment. here the construction of ladder is substantially the same as that shown in my said patent, the side bars, b, will rise to such height above the truck-frame or turn-table (when the ladder is down) as to avoid the necessity of long rear legs for the drivers seat, and hence permit the seat to be brought close down to the ladder, it being observed that the studs E, which may also be regarded as short posts, provide for the seat a couple of rear legs, which, however, are separable from the seat and secured to the ladder, although they could be permanently secured to the seatand detachably attached to the lad der by locking devices such as shown in my application No. 247,160, wherein the seat is pivotally supported on the ladder.

The foot-bonrd D is secured to the straight front legs of the seat, so that when the seat is lifted from the studs the foot-board will go with the seat.

By the foregoing arrangement the length of studs E, which may be considered as the rear legs of the seat, is practically nominaL-and hence light but strong supports are provided for, the rear portion of the seat. The front legs are of course somewhat longer; but such legs are utilized as hangers for the footboard.

It will be obvious that the seat can be removed with ease and rapidity, and that since when in use the eyes d and d are in horizontal planeswith the studs E and F, extending vcrtit ally up through said eyes, substantial and reliable supporting media will be provided for the seat.

The short posts or studs E are suitably bolted to the ladder and provided with shoulders e, forming seats for the rear eyes, (2, of the seat, it being also observed that each stud or short post E is further provided with a second lower shoulder, e, which bears against the ladder frame or side, so as to effectively steady the stud. The lower end portion, e", of the stud or post can he threaded and passed down through the latter side, and a nut then applied to thelower terminal of such threaded portion. The forward ends of the plates or bars f are adapted to provide seats 1" for the eyes (2 of the seat, Fig. 5 serving to illustrate one of such bars, with a stud, F, rising from a seat, f, at the forward end of the bar.

The foregoing arrangement of the seat upon the latter also avoids the necessity for seatsupports rising from the truck-frame and standing in the way of the ladder when the turn-table is turned for the purpose of swinging round the ladder, and at the same time, after the seat has been removed, the seat-engaging devices on the ladder will not interfere with the free raising of the ladder.

If desired, the studs or posts E and F can be provided with small holes, in'which pins can be inserted when the seat is in place,with such studs extending up through its several eyes, said small holes (indicated in Figs. 4 and 5) being of course arranged to lie above the eyes when the seat is in place, as shown.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. A fire-ladder truck having a ladder fulcrumed at its forward end and provided with a drivers seat, which said seat, when the ladder is in a recumbent position, stands supported from and over said fulcrnmed end of the ladder, for the purpose set forth.

2. A fire ladder truck having a ladder fulcrumcd at its forward end and provided, with a removable drivers seat, which said seat, when the ladder is in a recumbent position, stands detachably supported upon said tulcrumed end of the ladder, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the ladder fulcrumed at one end, and the drivers seat with short seat-supports for supporting the rear portion of the seat from the ladder when the latter is in a recumbent position, front-seat legs arranged to stand in front of the forward end of the recumbent ladder, and attaching devices for connecting the front-seat legs with the ladder, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, substantially as described. with the ladder, provided at its fulcrnmed end with studs E and F, of the drivers seat, provided at the rear with eyes for engaging the studs E, and having front legs provided with eyes for engaging the studs F, said front-seat legs being arranged to stand opposite the forward end of the ladder when the ladder is in a recumbent position, for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the ladder fulcrumed at one end. of the seat D, having front legs d, with a foot-board secured thereto, and attaching devices, substantially as set forth, for removably attaching the seat to the ladder.

ERNST F. STECK.

\Vitnesses:

L. S. LOGAN, CHAS. G. PAGE. 

